3D-design experts to show students imagination is the limit

University of Canterbury 3D printing and scanning experts
are keen to show high-school pupils that with modern
technology the only limit is your imagination.

With the
help of an Unlocking Curious Minds government grant for
almost $30,000, engineering academics Dr Don Clucas and Dr
Stefanie Gutschmidt will invite 60 Year 9 students and ten
teachers from ten local lower decile schools to take part in
a three-day workshop at the University of Canterbury (UC)
next month.

The teachers and school pupils will gain
first-hand experience using state-of-the-art 3D printing and
3D scanning equipment. As well as learning about exciting
new technology, including virtual and augmented reality, 3D
scanning and laser cutting at UC’s College of Engineering,
they will get the chance to learn directly from local
engineering industry experts.

Previously, Dr Clucas,
Senior Lecturer in Design and Manufacturing, in the
Department of Mechanical Engineering at UC, has 3D-printed a
prosthetic foot for a penguin amputee at the Antarctic
Centre, and 3D-scanned and reproduced items from UC’s
priceless Logie Collection of antiquities, thousands of
years old.

This year, Dr Clucas and Dr Gutschmidt have
moved from 3D printing ancient Greek cups and penguins feet
to helping dozens of school pupils get to grips with
engineering.

“We know from our statistics that certain
ethnic and social groups, especially from lower decile
schools, and females, are significantly under-represented in
our engineering intake. We know that ability-wise there is
no fundamental reason why these people should not be able to
succeed in achieving a tertiary degree,” Dr Clucas
says.

With this initiative, they aim to increase diversity
among future tertiary students in engineering
disciplines.

“Innovation through stirred curiosity and
thinking is so important to our future economy and society
that we need to give more encouragement and guidance to the
next generation of potential engineers. With this small
workshop on our turf at UC we are reaching out to pupils
that may not have either the facilities that higher decile
schools have or the family, peer or community support needed
to successfully take on the challenge of tertiary
education,” Dr Gutschmidt says.

The mechanical
engineering academics say the ultimate aim is to inspire and
guide the young students and demonstrate that there is no
fundamental reason why they cannot succeed at university,
providing they prepare themselves at secondary school by
studying science and maths, and keep their natural curiosity
alive.

“We’re not aiming at the top achieving or
older students who have likely already decided their path.
We want to inspire the students who are showing good promise
with science, maths and technology, and could benefit from a
bit of encouragement. At this stage of their studies, Year 9
students still have the chance to choose their subjects
wisely and part of our goal is to give them some
direction.”

Dr Clucas says the decision to also include
ten teachers is so that knowledge and inspiration is spread
to other Year 9 pupils and older students.

“We want to
sustain the momentum and motivation gained from these few
days. This way we capture a far greater pool of potential
engineers.”

The 60 students will be split into three
streams: general mechanical engineering, biomedical
engineering and mechatronics. Over three days, 26 - 28
April, the streams will cycle between activities, including
3D printing, virtual and augmented reality, 3D scanning and
laser cutting. Each stream will also visit an engineering
industry organisation featuring degree-qualified engineers
working on the students’ bias topics.

“We will also
have industry experts giving short talks and helping with
the workshops. All students will take away items they have
made, and hopefully they will inspire other students at
their schools.”

The event will end with a prize-giving
where family, whanau and caregivers can come and see what
the students have achieved, Dr Clucas says.

Unlocking
Curious Minds is a cross-agency programme of work led by
MBIE, the Ministry of Education and the Office of the Prime
Minister’s Chief Science Advisor. Science and Innovation
Minister Paul Goldsmith announced the funding in
February.

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